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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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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: bowl · shower · chest · prune · jam · deal · stick · scale

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chest — of your body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — a box
  17. scale — in music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. shower — rain
  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