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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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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 · band · shower · fan · jam · drill · deal · cap

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cap — of ice
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. drill — army training
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — a hat
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. pound — a weight

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