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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: prune · fine · shower · tube · ground · deal

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — rain
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — a container
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — all right

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