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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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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: trunk · roll · staff · coach · can · cap · board · chest

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. board — to get on
  7. roll — a list
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a committee
  15. roll — a cake
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. staff — employees

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