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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 · saw · clip · ball · bass · shower · cap · present

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ball — a great time
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bass — low music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cap — of ice
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. present — a gift
  22. shower — rain
  23. ball — a dance
  24. present — there

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