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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
468
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: hand · branch · cell · fine · coach · lean · bat · rush

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cell — in biology
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rush — to hurry

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