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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.

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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: coach · cell · can · branch · cabinet · pitcher · toast · bass

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — bread
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bass — the instrument

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