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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · rash · racket · pound · hand · degree · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — government
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. branch — a division
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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