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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: squash · chair · season · file · spring · shower · snap · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a line of people
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. squash — the sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — of the year
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. file — a tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. snap — to click
  24. chair — a leader

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