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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 116 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: band · present · kick · clip · wax · shower · can · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — the time now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — there
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. clip — a video
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. can — a tin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. band — a ring
  19. present — a gift
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — for paper
  23. shower — rain
  24. clip — to cut

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