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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.

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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 · fork · cell · pass · mate · face · fall · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — in a road
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — in biology
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cell — in a prison

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