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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: wake · field · straw · shower · snap · pitcher · rush · fine

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — hurry
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — for sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — rain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to click
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. field — a subject
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. field — farmland

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