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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: branch · object · cell · coach · net · ground · fall · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. net — for catching
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ground — crushed
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — to protest
  11. net — after costs
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fall — the season
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — a position
  24. fall — to drop

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