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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: jam · field · chair · leaves · chip · tube · trunk · perch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — to eat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. field — a subject
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. field — for sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chip — in a computer

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