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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: deal · pop · trunk · present · wave · chest · chair · last

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — a gift
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. last — finally
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. present — the time now
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — there
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chest — a box
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pop — soda

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