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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: bat · perch · leaves · shower · rock · wax · pass · fall

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rock — a stone
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — to grow
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wax — for sculpting

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