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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: nail · bound · coach · hide · trunk · rash · fork · bat

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rash — on the skin

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