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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: cabinet · track · shower · chair · ground · kid · trunk · can

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — a song
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ground — the earth
  6. track — a path
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — a position
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — a leader
  15. kid — child
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — rain
  24. ground — crushed

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