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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: pitcher · fall · pop · shower · bass · fork · hand · lash

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hand — help
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pop — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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