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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: roll · tear · coach · press · branch · fine · court · game

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. roll — a list
  3. game — a match
  4. fine — all right
  5. press — to push
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — a publisher
  18. roll — a cake
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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