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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: hand · face · prune · rash · coach · rule · stand · trunk

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — a law
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rule — government
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — a series
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. trunk — of a car

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