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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: rock · rash · cap · trunk · coach · fork · season · spell

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spell — magic
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fork — in a road
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — a series
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cap — a hat

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