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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: shower · current · fan · perch · kick · roll · mark · bear

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — a cake
  5. shower — to wash
  6. current — electric
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — in football
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. current — happening now
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. roll — a list
  22. current — of water
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bear — to put up with

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