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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: drill · ruler · calf · row · hide · pound · shower · land

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — army training
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hide — to keep secret

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