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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: stem · trunk · chip · pit · field · lean · chair · club

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chip — for betting
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chip — to eat
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. stem — to come from
  16. field — farmland
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lean — to bend
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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