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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.

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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: chair · root · season · bark · coach · bore · bank · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — in sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bank — for money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bank — for money
  19. root — of a word
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bark — 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