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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: fine · bass · cabinet · coach · hide · squash · pitcher · trunk

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — low music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bass — the instrument

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