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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: coach · trunk · rock · bound · file · pass · straw · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pass — a permit
  21. file — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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