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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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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: snap · hand · pitch · stick · bear · shower · band · mug

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. shower — rain
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. snap — to click
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a music group

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