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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · shower · branch · ball · spell · game · stand · pitcher

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — wild animals
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. spell — letters
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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