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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: hide · cold · face · branch · wave · coach · racket · squash

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to confront
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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