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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: season · trunk · coach · cap · cell · bound · dip · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cell — in biology
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — on a roll

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