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

Word bank: chair · wax · mark · coach · racket · temple · branch · race

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — a division
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. race — a contest
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. race — humankind
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — a grade
  24. branch — 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