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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
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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: date · perch · shower · plane · drill · fall · tube · board

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. drill — a practice
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. board — a committee
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — army training
  19. board — to get on
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. date — the fruit
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. date — on the calendar

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