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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.

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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: degree · bore · hide · coach · shower · hand · perch · craft

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — boats
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bore — to tire
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hide — to keep secret

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