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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 116 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: last · stick · bulb · branch · wave · coach · ball · cell

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. last — final
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a great time
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — finally
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — a division
  19. ball — a dance
  20. last — to go on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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