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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: band · root · coach · trunk · shower · jam · press · season

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a ring
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. band — a music group
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — rain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. root — of a plant
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. press — to push
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. root — of a word
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of a tree

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