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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: land · kick · cap · plane · shower · scale · bat · perch

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — in football
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cap — of ice
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — to come down
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. land — ground
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — a hat
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — the animal
  24. land — a country

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