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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: kick · swing · craft · shower · pound · temple

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. shower — rain
  6. craft — a skill
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kick — in football
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. swing — 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