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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: ground · pop · stand · band · pit · shower · hand · swing

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hand — help
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pop — soda
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. swing — music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pit — a hole
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pit — in a race

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