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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · spell · ball · chest · patient · coach · lash · trunk

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — steady
  5. ball — a dance
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spell — letters
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. firm — decided
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — a company
  16. ball — a great time
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — a short time

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