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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: wind · club · bear · current · mark · calf · chair · foot

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — electric
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. club — for golf
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mark — a trace
  23. current — of water
  24. mark — a grade

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