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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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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 · bank · patient · rock · racket · tear · fall · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bank — of a river
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — a stone
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — the season
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — from crying

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