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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: stick · trunk · squash · coach · wound · pass · pitch · field

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. field — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. field — farmland

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