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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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · branch · root · can · chair · cold · mate · coach

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. root — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a word
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mate — a partner
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — the cause
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. can — to be able to

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