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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
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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: perch · shower · trunk · pop · stem · bore · content · rule

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — to come from
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rule — government
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rule — a law
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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