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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: foot · branch · rule · bat · coach · lie · saw · pop

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rule — a law
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — soda
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rule — government
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a bank

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