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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: current · drill · coach · clip · branch · vault · stem · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — to cut
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — part of the head
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — electric
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — of water
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. current — happening now
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — a video
  23. drill — a practice
  24. branch — of a tree

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