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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 116 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: wound · coach · bank · rule · row · dip · land · branch

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — government
  8. bank — of a river
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rule — a law
  19. branch — a division
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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