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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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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 · pound · calf · rule · suit · club · branch · coach

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. suit — to fit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rule — government
  18. suit — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — a law
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. branch — a division

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