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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: shower · prune · stick · jam · pitch · spell · last · calf

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. shower — to wash
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — finally
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — letters
  21. prune — to trim
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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