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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: lash · season · capital · perch · wind · cabinet · nail · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. perch — the fish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — of the year
  24. capital — a city

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