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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: trunk · bound · coach · content · file · rock · toast · prune

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — bread
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rock — music
  15. bound — certain
  16. rock — a stone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — obliged
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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