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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: cold · branch · pitch · ground · coach · deal · tube · board

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — to get on
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cold — an illness
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitch — completely
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ground — a position
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. branch — a division
  24. tube — a container

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