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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: track · press · branch · firm · sharp · coach · march · mine

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. mine — for digging
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — steady
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. firm — a company
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. firm — decided
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mine — an explosive

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