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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — in sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stand — to bear
  24. trunk — of a tree

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