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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: trunk · ball · chair · branch · wound · foot · rest · mark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ball — a dance
  8. foot — a measure
  9. branch — a division
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rest — a break
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a trace
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. branch — of a bank

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