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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: mug · cap · shower · spring · calf · wave · perch · bass

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mug — a face
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mug — a cup
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — the fish
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cap — a hat

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