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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 120 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: perch · spell · mine · pit · mark · nail · shower · present

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — a short time
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. present — the time now
  8. spell — letters
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. present — there
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. present — a gift
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mark — a trace
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — magic

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