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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: drill · trunk · net · root · hand · fan · coach · rush

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. root — of a word
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — the cause
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. hand — in cards
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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