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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · bore · tube · mug · rush · season · coach · branch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. season — in sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bore — to tire
  12. branch — a division
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — a container
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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