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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · content · chair · stem · coach · staff · leaves · swing

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chair — a leader
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — the amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — temperature
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. staff — a stick
  22. swing — to play on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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