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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: coach · trunk · spring · press · branch · band · chip · ball

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a ring
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a dance
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spring — the season
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ball — a great time
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. coach — a trainer

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