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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: club · shower · hand · can · perch · pitcher · craft · stem

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — to come from
  5. shower — rain
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. hand — help
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. craft — boats
  21. shower — to wash
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — in cards
  24. can — a tin

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