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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 120 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
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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: mate · cap · wax · wound · shower · perch · court · net

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. court — of a king
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cap — a lid
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cap — a hat
  24. net — after costs

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