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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: pitcher · craft · spell · nail · prune · club · lean · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — for golf
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — a short time
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — rain
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to rest against

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