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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 120 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: mine · net · hand · arm · pitcher · calf · shower · bound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. net — for catching
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — rain
  11. net — after costs
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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