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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: sharp · fan · shower · rush · jam · perch · board · scale

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. shower — rain
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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