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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: bass · pitcher · nail · wound · tube · kick · saw · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — in football
  11. pound — a weight
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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