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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · perch · shower · ground · fine · march · cell · wax

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — a position
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — the earth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. march — music
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — a phone
  20. roll — a cake
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — all right
  24. perch — the fish

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