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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: bowl · ground · tear · press · branch · coach · bass · land

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — newspapers
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. press — to push
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. press — a publisher
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — crushed
  22. land — a country
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — a division

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