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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: trunk · coach · season · last · can · pitch · branch · bank

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — finally
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — to be able to
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — a trainer

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