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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: shower · arm · present · last · pound · calf · court · band

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — there
  4. last — final
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — to go on
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — of law
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — a weight
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. band — a ring
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a rubber band

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