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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: shower · safe · march · clip · perch · pass · current · rush

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. march — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — a video
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — rain
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. perch — the fish

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