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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: shower · prune · cue · fan · march · straw · roll · dip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. roll — a list
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — a signal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — a hint

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