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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: sharp · leaves · land · perch · mug · rock · shower · mate

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rock — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — a face
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — to rob
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mate — a partner
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — ground
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mate — a friend
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. land — a country

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