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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: foot · net · row · rush · branch · coach · cold · game

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — wild animals
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — after costs
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. game — a match
  19. row — a line
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. branch — a division

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