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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 · race · kid · object · rock · ball · shower · saw

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. object — to protest
  3. rock — music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. object — a thing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — to wash
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kid — child
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. race — humankind
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — the arms race
  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