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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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · spell · mug · craft · board · cold · perch · rule

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. perch — the fish
  5. shower — to wash
  6. board — to get on
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — magic
  14. rule — government
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mug — to rob
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a skill

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