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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: scale · trunk · pound · temple · net · can · land · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — ground
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. land — to come down
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. net — in sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. scale — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. can — a tin

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