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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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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: bank · row · band · coach · fall · rush · branch · capital

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — the season
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fall — to drop
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. bank — for money
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a music group
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — a line
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. capital — money

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