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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: drill · degree · shower · jam · foot · perch · lean · spell

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. shower — to wash
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spell — letters
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — magic
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — the fish
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — rain
  14. drill — a practice
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — army training
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to bend
  23. drill — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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