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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: coach · season · bank · stand · mouse · saw · file · branch

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bank — of a river
  11. file — a document
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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