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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: wound · chest · prune · board · lash · season · coach · vault

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. board — a committee
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — a safe
  23. board — to get on
  24. chest — a box

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