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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 116 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: key · mug · squash · plane · staff · shower · prune · pit

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. staff — a stick
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — the most important part
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — the sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pit — a hole
  19. plane — a tool
  20. key — in music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — a face
  24. staff — employees

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