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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.

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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: shower · bat · staff · coach · can · stem · perch · calf

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — a tin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — a stick
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. staff — employees
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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