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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: pound · shower · coach · cell · bear · bass · nail · land

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bass — low music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — a country
  24. bass — the instrument

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