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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: march · root · straw · lean · coach · branch · rush · tube

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. lean — thin
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — to bend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. branch — a division
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. root — of a word
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  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