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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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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: fork · snap · shower · spring · lean · kid · perch · bound

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — thin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kid — to tease

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