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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: chest · current · face · branch · rest · club · safe · coach

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — electric
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — happening now
  12. face — to point toward
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. club — for golf
  15. face — part of the head
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. branch — a division
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — a break
  20. current — of water
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — a box

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