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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: suit · branch · toast · clip · spring · shower · pitcher · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. suit — in cards
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. clip — for paper
  7. shower — rain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — to wash
  13. spring — the season
  14. suit — to fit
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — of water
  24. suit — clothes

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