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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: fine · stick · lash · chair · trunk · coach · pound · nail

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — a weight
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lash — to lash out

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