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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rock — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. lean — thin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — rain

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