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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: staff · chair · pound · wake · coach · drill · branch · cabinet

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — a stick
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. branch — a division
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. drill — army training

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