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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 · stand · bass · land · swing · prune · pitcher · charge

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stand — to bear
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. charge — electricity
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — to come down
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. land — ground
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bass — low music
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. charge — in control
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. charge — a price

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