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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.

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: perch · toast · hand · land · press · squash · shower · current

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — electric
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. squash — the sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. land — a country
  11. press — newspapers
  12. current — of water
  13. land — ground
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — to crush
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — rain
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. land — to come down
  21. press — a publisher
  22. current — happening now
  23. toast — bread
  24. shower — to wash

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