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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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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: lean · perch · shower · pitcher · wake · chip · coach · trunk

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chip — to eat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lean — to bend
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a car

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