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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 · shower · prune · chip · wave · squash · race · straw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chip — for betting
  10. race — humankind
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. race — a contest
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — to eat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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