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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: arm · fine · coach · trunk · season · swing · calf · rash

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — all right
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. swing — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — in sport

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