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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: wax · chair · coach · stock · bound · trunk · race · lean

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — obliged
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — tied together
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bound — certain
  20. race — a contest
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lean — thin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lean — to bend

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