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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 120 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: land · fan · swing · branch · drill · chip · coach · stock

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. drill — army training
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — to come down
  17. branch — a division
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — ground
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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