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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 · club · field · band · wake · lean · chair · firm

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. club — a group
  7. firm — a company
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. field — for sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. club — for dancing
  16. firm — steady
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — a leader
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. band — a ring
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — a subject

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