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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 116 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: last · branch · march · coach · wave · tube · scale · lash

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. march — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tube — a container
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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