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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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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: deal · pop · perch · fall · chest · root · trunk · shower

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — the cause
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — of a word
  9. perch — the fish
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pop — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chest — a box

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