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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · face · rule · coach · key · plane · file · degree

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rule — a law
  14. key — for a lock
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — from a university
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — government
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a document
  22. plane — a tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. file — a line of people

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