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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: snap · pitch · straw · press · last · dip · coach · branch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — a publisher
  11. last — finally
  12. press — to push
  13. pitch — completely
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — to go on

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