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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: leaves · bore · sharp · net · coach · branch · march · stick

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — in sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. march — music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — clever

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