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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · shower · bear · land · temple · calf · mouse · perch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — a country
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — ground

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