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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: net · wake · spell · perch · shower · rush · board · band

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — letters
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — a short time
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — for catching
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a ring
  24. wake — a trail

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