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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
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: pitcher · shower · scale · perch · lie · fan · march · root

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. root — of a word
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — the fish
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — the cause
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lie — to recline
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lie — an untruth

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