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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: bore · club · cap · shower · straw · pitcher · file · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a line of people
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. file — a document
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — to wash
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cap — a lid
  19. club — a group
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a hat

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