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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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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 · chest · craft · club · deal · rash · lean · chair

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. lean — thin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — boats
  8. chest — a box
  9. craft — a skill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. club — for dancing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a leader
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — of your body

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