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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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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: net · club · shower · prune · bowl · jam · last · can

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. net — for catching
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. shower — rain
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. club — for golf
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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