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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · branch · coach · swing · plane · fall · kid · wax

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — the season
  3. swing — music
  4. branch — a division
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com