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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: perch · wind · row · shower · fan · deal · face · rock

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to point toward
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — to move gently

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