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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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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 · bank · rest · deal · sharp · file · branch · fall

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — a division
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. rest — a break
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bank — for money
  24. branch — of a tree

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