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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 120 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 · pitcher · land · nail · squash · trunk · cue · foot

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cue — a hint
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. land — a country
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — for pool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cue — a signal
  24. foot — a measure

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