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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: pound · squash · chair · calf · bowl · trunk · dip · shower

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — rain
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — a weight
  18. squash — the sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chair — to sit on
  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