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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: shower · firm · chair · branch · calf · coach · last · rash

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. last — final
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. firm — steady
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — a company
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. firm — decided
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — a series
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — finally
  23. chair — a leader
  24. calf — of the leg

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