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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 · fan · charge · firm · mine · march · scale · perch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — to wash
  4. firm — a company
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. firm — decided
  9. charge — a price
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — electricity
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. firm — steady

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