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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: coach · squash · land · suit · can · chair · stock · tube

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — a container
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. suit — in cards
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. land — ground
  14. suit — clothes
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. can — a tin
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chair — a leader
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. can — to be able to
  22. squash — to crush
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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