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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: wind · calf · pound · kick · toast · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. 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. shower — to wash
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. shower — rain
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kick — in football
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pound — a weight
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. 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