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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: tube · shower · leaves · pitcher · wake · content · straw · pitch

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitch — completely
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. straw — dry grass

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