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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 120 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: cap · perch · coach · chest · kick · prune · race · lash

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — a contest
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. race — humankind
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — the fish
  24. prune — to trim

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