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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: shower · chip · perch · wind · stand · last · leaves · kick

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. shower — to wash
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — for betting
  19. last — finally
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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