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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: shower · land · stem · mark · hide · perch · bass · snap

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. perch — the fish
  13. land — ground
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — rain
  16. snap — to click
  17. mark — a trace
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — to come down
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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