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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: bay · prune · cold · perch · coach · hide · ground · trunk

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ground — the earth
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — not warm
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — crushed

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