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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
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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: arm · shower · perch · lash · capital · pitcher · bear · stem

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — a city
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. capital — money
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stem — a stem cell

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