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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 116 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 · pass · hand · race · stand · stick · bear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stand — to bear
  22. shower — rain
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bear — the animal

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