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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: spring · coach · firm · stand · branch · trunk · key · fork

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — steady
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stand — to bear
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. firm — decided
  18. key — in music
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — the season
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spring — a coil

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