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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: race · straw · can · shower · stem · fan · pitcher · game

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — a match
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. race — a contest
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. can — a tin
  15. race — humankind
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — the arms race
  19. game — wild animals
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — to cool the air

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