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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: foot · snap · trunk · perch · squash · shower · chair · pound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. shower — rain
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — to crush
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — the fish

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