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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: lean · fork · hand · rush · cell · trunk · rash · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rash — hasty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — help
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cell — a phone

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