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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 120 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: trunk · lie · coach · net · spring · pass · hand · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — in sport
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pass — a permit
  17. net — for catching
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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