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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: coach · tube · wind · rest · hide · scale · branch · cold

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — a break
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — a container
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cold — an illness
  8. branch — a division
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tube — the underground
  18. scale — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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