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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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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: bear · shower · wound · ground · pass · perch

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ground — the earth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — to wash

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