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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: branch · temple · board · kid · pitcher · firm · bark · coach

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — a committee
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. firm — decided
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — to shout
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. firm — steady
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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