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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · wound · pit · pitcher · prune · calf · pop · shower

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — humankind
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a hole
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — a contest
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pop — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. prune — to trim
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. calf — a young animal

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