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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: staff · foot · trunk · ground · key · hand · mine · scale

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — size or range
  18. staff — a stick
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. key — the most important part
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. foot — a measure

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