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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: hide · rash · swing · shower · mug · branch · coach · bear

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a face
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. branch — a division
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — to play on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — music
  23. mug — to rob
  24. swing — in golf

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