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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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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 · trunk · stem · rest · ground · coach · cap · mark

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — a leader
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rest — a break
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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