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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 116 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: squash · perch · snap · calf · chair · march · current · shower

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — to crush
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. perch — the fish
  13. shower — to wash
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chair — a leader
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — happening now
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — the sport
  23. current — of water
  24. squash — the vegetable

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