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

Word bank: fan · pound · foot · bore · snap · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. shower — rain

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