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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 116 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: suit · shower · kid · bowl · sharp · pitcher · stem · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. suit — in cards
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — a break
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stem — of a plant

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