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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: perch · fan · chest · shower · bowl · nail · patient · spell

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — magic
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. shower — rain
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — the fish

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