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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: trunk · bass · content · foot · jam · scale · spring · chair

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. foot — a measure
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spring — the season
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — of water
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — happy
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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