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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. shower — rain
  24. pound — to hit hard

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