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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: bound · branch · bowl · cap · coach · ground · saw · net

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — obliged
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ground — a position
  17. bound — certain
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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