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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: prune · board · lie · branch · stand · cold · coach · season

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — a committee
  5. stand — to bear
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — not warm
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — to get on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lie — to recline
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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