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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: rush · hand · track · drill · coach · patient · branch · rash

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. drill — army training
  14. branch — a division
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — to hurry

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