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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 · hand · rush · trunk · hide · bat · branch · mug

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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