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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · squash · hide · coach · content · face · trunk · game

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — a match
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — the amount
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — to point toward

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