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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.

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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: coach · bark · trunk · pitcher · stand · branch · tube · land

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — to come down
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bark — to shout
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. land — ground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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