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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: shower · perch · straw · cabinet · plane · mark · coach · saw

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. plane — a tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. perch — the fish

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