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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: kid · foot · chair · plane · band · fine · trunk · clip

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. foot — a measure
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — for paper
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. band — a ring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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