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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: mouse · court · row · perch · shower · tube · stick · cap

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cap — a lid
  13. court — for sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — the underground
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. court — of law
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. court — of a king
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mouse — for a computer

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