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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: row · shower · perch · kick · bulb · wave · cabinet · capital

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — the fish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. capital — money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kick — in football

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