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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: wave · trunk · file · stick · fine · shower · pitcher · degree

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. shower — rain
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. file — a document
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — temperature

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