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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: rest · mine · branch · file · cell · coach · mouse · board

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. cell — in biology
  6. board — to get on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rest — what's left
  16. board — a committee
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rest — what's left

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