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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: perch · squash · toast · band · shower · scale · chair · wound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — in music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — to crush
  12. toast — bread
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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