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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: swing · shower · straw · wound · wake · pop · safe · perch

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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