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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
468
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: bound · branch · degree · lie · file · chair · coach · cap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a document
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — temperature
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cap — a hat
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bound — certain
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bound — obliged

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