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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: coach · wound · swing · branch · lie · cabinet · wax · band

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a ring
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — to recline
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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