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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: shower · pound · sharp · cap · prune · mate · rush · straw

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mate — a partner
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — to wash
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. shower — rain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. prune — to trim

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