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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: bear · bore · shower · stand · calf · trunk · perch · chip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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