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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: race · coach · face · rush · branch · bound · key · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. face — part of the head
  9. race — humankind
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. race — a contest
  16. bound — tied together
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — to confront
  19. branch — a division
  20. rush — hurry
  21. face — to point toward
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — the most important part

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