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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: pitcher · suit · clip · dip · prune · game · tube · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. game — a match
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — rain
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. suit — in cards
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — wild animals
  21. shower — to wash
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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