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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. shower — to wash
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. shower — rain
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fork — in a road
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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