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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: cold · mug · ruler · chair · trunk · firm · ground · field

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — steady
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — a subject
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — farmland
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — crushed
  14. field — for sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — a position
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. firm — a company
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. firm — decided
  24. cold — the Cold War

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