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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: mark · lean · game · ruler · chair · wind · trunk · mine

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — for digging
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a match
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. chair — a leader

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