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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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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: season · shower · dip · kid · vault · racket · perch · wake

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. perch — the fish
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wake — a trail
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — to tease

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