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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 120 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: cap · chair · bear · march · face · root · coach · current

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — of water
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. face — part of the head
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. root — of a word
  15. march — the month
  16. current — happening now
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. root — the cause
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. march — the month
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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