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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
468
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: shower · coach · wave · perch · snap · plane · stock · bore

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — to tire
  14. plane — a tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — goods

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