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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: dip · chair · temple · prune · foot · chest · mark · bound

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — a box
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — a professorship

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