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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: trunk · pitcher · shower · chair · present · rock · pop · row

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — a gift
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pop — music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — to paddle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rock — music

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