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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 120 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: lean · shower · perch · court · spell · rash · wound · bay

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — of law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — magic
  18. rash — a series
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spell — a short time

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