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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: bat · pit · leaves · coach · fall · current · sharp · branch

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — the season
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — happening now
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — in an idiom

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