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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.

Make a worksheet

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: trunk · lean · chair · press · straw · foot · sharp · calf

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lean — thin
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. press — to push
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. foot — a measure
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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