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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: swing · fine · bass · coach · cell · branch · staff · rash

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — in golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fine — all right
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cell — a phone

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