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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: pop · rash · charge · shower · bulb · capital · arm · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — rain
  5. pop — to visit
  6. charge — in control
  7. bulb — for light
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — soda
  11. charge — a price
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pop — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — hasty
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bulb — for light

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