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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · snap · wake · hand · fine · leaves · pitch · bear

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — in cards
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. shower — to wash
  11. snap — to click
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitch — completely
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — help
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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