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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · cell · trunk · suit · chair · hand · bark · lean

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. cell — a phone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — a leader
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lean — to bend
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lean — thin
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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