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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: date · perch · cabinet · shower · rash · vault · row · fall

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — rain
  8. row — to paddle
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fall — to drop
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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