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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 120 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
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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: lean · shower · perch · court · spell · rash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — letters
  7. shower — to wash
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — rain
  10. rash — a series
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — thin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of law
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. court — for sport

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