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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: snap · pitcher · last · shower · craft · spell

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. last — final
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — rain
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. shower — to wash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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