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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: branch · bulb · bank · board · prune · press · hand · coach

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. press — to push
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — to get on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bulb — for light
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — a committee
  24. press — newspapers

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