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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: wake · scale · toast · deal · rush · coach · trunk · mine

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rush — hurry
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — in music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. scale — size or range
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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