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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: cap · trunk · chair · straw · object · season · kid · arm

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — of the year
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — a thing
  5. kid — child
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. object — to protest
  19. season — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — a straw man

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