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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: coach · wound · pop · trunk · charge · cell · bound · lash

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. charge — a price
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. charge — in control
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — music
  24. cell — in biology

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