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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 116 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
468
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: craft · coach · pitch · scale · stand · trunk · cold · lie

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lie — to recline
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — in music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stand — to bear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stand — for spectators

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