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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.

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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: chair · club · wind · bowl · ground · trunk · bound · key

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bound — certain
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — obliged
  16. club — a group
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. club — for dancing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chair — a leader

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