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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: content · hide · bound · branch · can · lash · coach · game

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. content — happy
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. can — a tin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hide — animal skin

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