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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · nail · shower · lean · board · pitcher · perch · stem

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. perch — the fish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. board — to get on
  20. lean — thin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fork — in a road
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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