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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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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: prune · hand · kick · arm · root · coach · temple · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hand — help
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. root — of a word
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kick — in football
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — the cause

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