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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: stick · cold · date · shower · suit · perch · wound · track

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. shower — rain
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. suit — to fit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. suit — clothes
  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