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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: suit · shower · perch · cell · spell · fan · coach · chest

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — magic
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cell — in biology
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chest — a box
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — clothes
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your 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