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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: trunk · leaves · mug · kick · rush · pitcher · shower · coach

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mug — a face
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. kick — in football
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — to rob
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mug — a cup
  24. coach — a trainer

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