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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: hide · shower · deal · row · lean · rush · perch · season

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — to handle
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lean — thin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  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