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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · coach · branch · pitcher · cap · spell · stock · clip

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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