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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: perch · lean · stand · roll · mine · scale · shower · bulb

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a cake
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — in music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — to wash
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — the fish
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — size or range
  23. roll — a list
  24. lean — thin

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