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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: cold · coach · stand · leaves · branch · kid · cap · rock

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — child
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rock — to move gently

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