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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.

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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: row · leaves · cabinet · chair · wax · field · coach · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. row — a line
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cabinet — ministers

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