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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: leaves · patient · mine · coach · last · trunk · face · lash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — to confront
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. last — final
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. last — to go on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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