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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: kick · roll · trunk · swing · row · bound · mark · coach

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. roll — a cake
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — to play on
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — in golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bound — certain
  16. mark — a trace
  17. row — a line
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — to paddle
  21. swing — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — a thrill

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