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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: pitcher · rush · stick · season · branch · net · mouse · shower

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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