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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · shower · rock · ground · lean · lash · trunk · chair

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chair — a leader
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lean — thin
  20. ground — the earth
  21. club — a group
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — for golf

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