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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: craft · fall · perch · roll · shower · wake · dip · spell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fall — the season
  9. spell — letters
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a list
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — boats
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spell — a short time
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — to drop

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