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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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468
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: coach · bay · trunk · cabinet · bear · game · net · stick

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. net — for catching

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