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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: tube · pitcher · coach · leaves · sharp · season · trunk · face

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. season — of the year
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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