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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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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: branch · stand · bowl · squash · wave · rule · perch · shower

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rule — government
  21. stand — to bear
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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