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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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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: chair · bark · content · bank · cap · perch · coach · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bank — for money
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bank — of a river
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wax — to grow

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