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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 120 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: rush · pitcher · suit · shower · bass · stem · scale · last

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — final
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — to go on
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stem — to come from
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — finally
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. suit — to fit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bass — low music

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