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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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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: chip · bowl · kick · perch · stick · board · trunk · shower

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — rain
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. shower — to wash
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. board — to get on
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — to eat
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bowl — to roll

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