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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
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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: squash · perch · swing · shower · staff · mug · tube · cap

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cap — a lid
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cap — a hat
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mug — a face
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — a stick
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cap — of ice

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