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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: land · pit · hand · current · fine · trunk · coach · wax

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. land — to come down
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hand — help
  11. wax — to grow
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a hole
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fine — all right
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. current — electric

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