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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: arm · current · wake · season · trunk · mine · coach · rest

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — in sport
  3. current — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. current — electric
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rest — what's left
  24. season — of the year

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