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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 120 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 · rash · craft · club · trunk · shower · cue · hide

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — hasty
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cue — a hint
  13. club — for golf
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cue — for pool
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — rain
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. trunk — of a tree

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