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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 116 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: cell · cap · saw · shower · perch · rest

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — rain
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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