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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 120 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 · track · cue · lash · charge · clip · perch · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. clip — a video
  4. shower — rain
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — for paper
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. charge — a price
  12. cue — for pool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — in control
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  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