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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: current · root · spell · bark · cue · bore · perch · shower

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — electric
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. current — of water
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spell — letters
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. root — of a plant
  13. current — happening now
  14. root — of a word
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — to shout
  21. shower — to wash
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — rain

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