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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 · wake · spell · shower · band · fine · pass · calf

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — the fish
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — all right
  15. wake — a trail
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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