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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: chair · trunk · club · ground · degree · bulb · bear · foot

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — crushed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — for golf
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — a group
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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