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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: club · shower · jam · hide · pitcher · pit · trunk · scale

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — in a race
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. shower — rain
  16. club — for golf
  17. pit — a hole
  18. scale — size or range
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — in music

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