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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: chip · coach · chair · bark · plane · rush · leaves · degree

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. degree — an amount
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. leaves — to go away
  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