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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 · fan · hand · face · perch · lean · hide · pop

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — help
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. face — to confront
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — soda
  24. fan — a supporter

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