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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: rush · face · track · rock · wound · rule · coach · prune

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to point toward
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rush — hurry
  17. track — a path
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — a law
  23. track — a song
  24. rock — a stone

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