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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: land · net · coach · ruler · cabinet · trunk · stick · chair

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. land — ground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. net — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. land — to come down
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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