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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: arm · object · shower · mark · kid · fan · rush · pound

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — rain
  5. object — a thing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — to tease

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