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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.

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: pit · fine · trunk · temple · coach · season · perch · clip

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fine — all right
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pit — in a race
  18. clip — a video
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. season — of the year
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fine — high quality

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