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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 116 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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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 · band · hide · firm · cap · content · pound · saw

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pound — a weight
  3. content — the amount
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — a company
  12. cap — a lid
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. content — happy
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. firm — steady
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. firm — decided
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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