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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.

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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: fall · lash · trunk · mate · squash · lie · craft · coach

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mate — a partner
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — to recline

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