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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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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: mine · coach · ground · branch · pitcher · rash · saw · bound

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bound — certain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — on the skin

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