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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 120 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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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: prune · rash · suit · branch · chair · nail · coach · face

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chair — a leader
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — to fit
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — hasty
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to confront
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rash — on the skin

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