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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · leaves · shower · hide · spell · deal · capital · perch

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. shower — rain
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. deal — a big deal

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