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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: rush · coach · trunk · wound · pass · shower · bowl · cold

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — an injury

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