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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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