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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 124 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: coach · wake · clip · branch · staff · wound · pitcher · stick

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — a division
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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