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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 120 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: perch · wind · staff · arm · shower · net · lie · coach

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — rain
  3. perch — the fish
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lie — to recline
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — employees
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — a stick
  23. net — for catching
  24. arm — part of the body

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