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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 120 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: trunk · club · foot · bear · coach · chair · press · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. club — for golf
  8. chair — a leader
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chair — to sit on

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