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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 · prune · foot · capital · pound · swing · suit · pitch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — to wash
  7. capital — money
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — a weight
  12. swing — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — rain
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. foot — a measure
  24. capital — a big letter

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