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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: nail · land · root · chest · toast · chair · trunk · mouse

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — a country
  6. toast — bread
  7. land — to come down
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. root — of a word
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — the cause
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. root — of a plant

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