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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: tear · rock · cue · trunk · chair · coach · game · degree

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tear — to rip
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. game — a match
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — from a university
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. degree — temperature
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cue — a signal

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