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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: ground · bore · clip · cabinet · branch · coach · mark · wind

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — a position
  22. clip — a video
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to tire

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