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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 120 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: field · hide · press · trunk · coach · can · suit · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — newspapers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. can — to be able to
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. suit — clothes
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. coach — a trainer

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