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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: staff · rush · coach · game · trunk · jam · pop · rule

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — to visit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rule — a law
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pop — soda
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rule — government
  24. staff — employees

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