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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: fall · plane · racket · stick · perch · ground · shower · bulb

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — rain
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ground — a position
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — the season
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — for a bird

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