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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: pound · wave · cap · drill · hand · pitcher · court · patient

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — army training
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hand — in cards
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. court — for sport
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — a lid
  18. court — of law
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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