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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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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: spring · suit · shower · last · bat · leaves · cabinet · perch

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — finally
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — the fish
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — final

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