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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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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: leaves · coach · straw · root · pitch · trunk · wound · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. root — of a word
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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