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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: pitcher · trunk · rush · cap · stand · rash · mouse · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rush — hurry
  24. trunk — of a car

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