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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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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: fall · snap · face · cabinet · trunk · coach · stick · key

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to click
  12. face — to confront
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — for a lock
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. key — the most important part
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. face — part of the head

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