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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
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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: key · prune · fall · face · rush · wake · cell · coach

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. key — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — a phone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fall — the season
  12. key — the most important part
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to point toward
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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