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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: safe · staff · coach · bat · season · trunk · bark · rash

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rash — hasty
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. rash — a series
  12. season — in sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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