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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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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: chair · board · pound · bear · wake · stand · coach · saw

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bear — the animal
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. board — to get on
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — on your feet

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