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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 · wave · prune · coach · drill · rush · wound · pitch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — completely
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — army training

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