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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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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: saw · dip · fork · fall · straw · shower · wind · pitcher

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fork — in a road
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — the tool

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