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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
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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: branch · leaves · mine · race · file · coach · cold · bore

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bore — to tire
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. file — a document
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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