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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: wound · squash · coach · branch · track · fall · content · leaves

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — the sport
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. content — happy
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — to crush
  13. track — a path
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. branch — a division
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — to keep track

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