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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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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: rest · staff · net · wind · shower · bore · perch · bulb

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — for catching
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. bore — to drill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — a break
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — to tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — after costs

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