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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 120 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: rest · dip · last · wound · fall · coach · branch · pitch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to sink
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitch — completely
  15. last — final
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — a trainer

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