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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: foot · shower · pass · bass · hand · plane · jam · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. shower — rain
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — help
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bass — low music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. perch — for a bird

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