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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: face · cue · spring · wake · net · arm · perch · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. face — to point toward
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — the season
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. net — for catching
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. spring — a coil
  12. face — to confront
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — the fish
  21. shower — rain
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. perch — for a bird

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