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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: stand · shower · trunk · ground · file · lie · chair · rash

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rash — a series
  13. ground — a position
  14. rash — hasty
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chair — a leader
  17. file — a document
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ground — the earth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stand — to bear
  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