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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: season · coach · patient · sharp · trunk · plane · swing · chip

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. plane — a tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. swing — to play on
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chip — for betting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — music

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