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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: board · shower · spell · perch · kid · face · saw · deal

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — magic
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. kid — child
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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