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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: race · shower · pitcher · track · perch · ball · band · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — the fish
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. track — a song
  18. race — the arms race
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — a path
  21. ball — a great time
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — to drop

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