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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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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: chair · key · field · snap · board · root · trunk · rash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — the cause
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. board — to get on
  8. rash — a series
  9. snap — to click
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. key — in music
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. root — of a word
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — for sport
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — of a plant
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. board — a flat piece

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