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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · patient · trunk · coach · hide · march · last · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. last — final
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. march — music

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