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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: band · rush · capital · leaves · perch · shower · craft · mine

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — to wash
  4. capital — a city
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a ring
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — money
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — for digging
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. leaves — to go away

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