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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: branch · trunk · cold · kick · coach · staff · bound · fine

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cold — an illness
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — employees

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