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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: saw · roll · cap · coach · trunk · cold · march · lie

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cold — not warm
  4. roll — a list
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a lid
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. roll — a cake
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a hat
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lie — an untruth

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