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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: cap · chair · clip · trunk · lean · foot · degree · content

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — for paper
  7. degree — from a university
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — temperature
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a lid
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — thin

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