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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: branch · chest · coach · spell · snap · wave · vault · fan

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to click
  4. spell — letters
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — a division
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chest — a box
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. vault — a safe
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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