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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: wake · straw · shower · can · mine · prune · object · mate

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — an aim
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — a partner
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — to protest
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — rain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. object — a thing
  24. can — a tin

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