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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: perch · suit · firm · degree · wound · chair · face · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — a leader
  10. face — to point toward
  11. suit — clothes
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. perch — the fish
  17. face — to confront
  18. firm — a company
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — temperature
  24. suit — in cards

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