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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: mouse · pit · season · club · shower · wound · dip · row

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. club — for dancing
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. club — a group
  7. season — of the year
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. row — a line
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. club — for golf
  16. row — to paddle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. shower — rain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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