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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 116 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: ball · shower · stick · bore · band · perch · squash · hand

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a ring
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — to wash
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a music group
  23. ball — a great time
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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