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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: perch · tear · prune · shower · lean · rock · pop · bank

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bank — for money
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pop — soda
  12. tear — to rip
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rock — a stone
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — rain
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — thin
  23. bank — for money
  24. prune — to trim

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