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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: face · coach · lie · branch · cell · trunk · file · chair

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. chair — a leader
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a line of people
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chair — a professorship

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