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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: cell · ground · lean · shower · perch · jam · lie · vault

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lean — thin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lie — to recline
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — to bend
  8. shower — rain
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ground — the earth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ground — a position
  24. cell — in a prison

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