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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: pitcher · present · season · wave · fan · bound · trunk · chair

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bound — certain
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. season — in sport
  9. present — there
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — a gift
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — the time now
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — tied together

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