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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: shower · field · ball · track · rush · lean · branch · coach

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — rain
  14. rush — hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a dance
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. lean — to bend

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