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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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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: branch · mate · rule · present · rest · coach · straw · court

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — there
  6. rule — government
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of a king
  9. rest — a break
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. branch — a division
  16. mate — to breed
  17. present — a gift
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of law
  20. rule — a law
  21. present — the time now
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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