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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.

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: shower · current · club · straw · march · toast · prune · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. current — happening now
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. shower — to wash
  12. toast — bread
  13. current — of water
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — music
  16. current — electric
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. club — for golf
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. club — a group
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. march — the month

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