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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.

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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: field · coach · craft · wake · ground · fall · dip · branch

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ground — the earth
  5. craft — boats
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ground — a position
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. craft — a skill

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