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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 · chair · season · stock · coach · toast · dip · jam

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. toast — bread
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — in sport
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. trunk — 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