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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: bark · shower · mouse · fall · face · perch · bowl · lash

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fall — the season
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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