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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · craft · temple · ground · pop · trunk · chair · wind

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. land — to come down
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chair — a leader
  8. land — a country
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — crushed
  11. land — ground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chair — a professorship

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