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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: chest · mark · fork · branch · coach · spring · fall · band

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — of water
  3. fall — the season
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — a division
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. band — a ring
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — to pay attention

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