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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: tear · rock · ground · stand · can · march · branch · coach

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — to rip
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. branch — of a bank
  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