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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
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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: chest · wake · trunk · row · kid · ball · pitcher · coach

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. row — a line
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chest — a box
  13. kid — child
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a great time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. trunk — of a car

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