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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · cold · branch · net · safe · hand · pass

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. branch — a division
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — for catching
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pass — to spend time

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