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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.

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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: shower · spell · kick · mark · bound · trunk · chair · plane

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. shower — rain
  3. bound — certain
  4. plane — a tool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — magic
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mark — a trace
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kick — in football
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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