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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: chair · wake · pass · shower · perch · cap · bank · court

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — a permit
  11. court — of law
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of a king
  20. bank — of a river
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bank — for money

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