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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
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: season · march · patient · trunk · snap · coach · bark · temple

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. season — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bark — to shout
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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