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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 · net · mine · bore · trunk · shower · roll · hide

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — to tire
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. roll — a list
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — rain
  15. net — in sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — after costs
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mine — for digging

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