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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: shower · pitcher · pop · pound · chip · net · prune · rest

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — for catching
  7. rest — a break
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. net — in sport
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pop — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — after costs
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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