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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 · ball · prune · stick · pound · plane · cue · lie

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — rain
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cue — a signal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. shower — to wash
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cue — for pool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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