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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: pound · bowl · plane · coach · trunk · pass · snap · rock

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rock — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pound — a weight
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. snap — to click
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rock — a stone

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