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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 · season · present · fan · mine · arm · leaves · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. present — there
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. present — a gift
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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