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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 116 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: perch · rash · wound · sharp · hide · shower · face · leaves

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — to point toward
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to confront
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. perch — the fish
  18. shower — rain
  19. rash — a series
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — of a tree

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