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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 120 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: straw · squash · last · shower · coach · stem · pitcher · ruler

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — rain
  3. last — finally
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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