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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: band · temple · branch · tube · coach · rush · march · roll

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — a division
  9. roll — a list
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. band — a ring
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — a thrill

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