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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 116 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: pound · land · bowl · trunk · bank · rash · chair · dip

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. land — to come down
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. pound — a weight
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bank — for money

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