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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: stand · mouse · ground · coach · club · deal · branch · cold

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. deal — to handle
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. club — for golf
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. branch — a division
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — a group

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