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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: nail · saw · trunk · season · dip · coach · file · spell

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a document
  6. season — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. file — a line of people
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a tool

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