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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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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: coach · wind · squash · chair · deal · bark · prune · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — to shout
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a leader
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. squash — to crush

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