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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 116 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: cap · mate · coach · bulb · can · trunk · last · file

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mate — a partner
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mate — to breed
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a hat
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — final
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cap — a lid

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