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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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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: fork · ground · shower · perch · ruler · present · hide · clip

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ground — a position
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. present — there
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. shower — rain
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — for measuring

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