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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: toast · pitcher · trunk · hand · hide · shower · tear · staff

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — in cards
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tear — to rip
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — bread

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