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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: last · stick · pitcher · bass · coach · trunk · hide · spring

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. bass — low music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — the fish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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