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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: stick · coach · bound · trunk · rush · branch · wind · row

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bound — certain
  24. coach — a trainer

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