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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: coach · bound · jam · trunk · cabinet · charge · rest · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. charge — a price
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. charge — in control

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