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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 · pitcher · fine · plane · wind · stand · prune · deal

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — to handle
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — rain
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. plane — an aircraft

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