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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: present · shower · staff · sharp · fan · band · perch · wave

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. perch — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — the time now
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a ring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — clever

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