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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: perch · march · leaves · row · fan · shower · wave · net

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. shower — rain
  5. perch — the fish
  6. march — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a line
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — after costs
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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