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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · foot · plane · ground · cue · fine · trunk · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. foot — a measure
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. ground — a position
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — all right
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. ground — the earth

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