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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: foot · net · chair · arm · staff · wind · trunk · band

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. staff — a stick
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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