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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 120 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 · cold · coach · saw · net · land · plane · rush

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. land — a country
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — to come down
  9. cold — an illness
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. plane — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — a division
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — ground
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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