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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 116 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 · stock · pitcher · shower · mug · field

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mug — to rob
  5. field — a subject
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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