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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: bore · coach · wax · cap · toast · tear · board · chair

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — to tire
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wax — to grow
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — to get on
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chair — a leader
  16. toast — bread
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — a lid
  22. board — a committee
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — for sculpting

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