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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: coach · lean · wake · chair · net · bear · prune · kick

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — in sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — thin
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — to bend
  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