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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · tube · coach · cold · wave · lean · bowl · branch

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — an illness
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. branch — a division
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — a container
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lean — to bend
  24. branch — of a bank

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