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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.

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: fan · shower · straw · row · chair · chip · current · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — of water
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. chair — to sit on

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