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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: trunk · present · chest · fan · coach · mine · game · wave

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — a box
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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