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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: band · fork · coach · press · tube · branch · file · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a ring
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a document
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tube — the underground

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