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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.

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: court · shower · wave · perch · saw · object · date · track

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a song
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. track — to keep track
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — to wash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. object — an aim
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — of a king
  21. object — to protest
  22. shower — rain
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. perch — for a bird

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