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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: rash · object · pitcher · date · band · coach · leaves · trunk

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. date — the fruit
  22. object — to protest
  23. band — a music group
  24. leaves — to go away

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