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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: snap · file · rash · sharp · fall · branch · coach · bore

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — a series
  4. file — a tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — to tire
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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