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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: tube · prune · shower · cue · mouse · face · straw · pitch

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — part of the head
  5. shower — rain
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tube — a container
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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