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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 · chair · content · drill · spring · foot · pop · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. drill — the tool
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. field — a subject
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — the season
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — army training
  24. trunk — of a car

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