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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 · rash · swing · bear · fan · mouse · current · perch

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. swing — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. rash — hasty
  24. perch — for a bird

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