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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: season · coach · spell · mate · race · chair · lean · branch

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — in sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — a division
  16. spell — magic
  17. race — a contest
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — of the year
  24. spell — letters

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