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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: pound · shower · key · march · mate · deal · bulb · saw

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. shower — to wash
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pound — a weight
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a friend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — for light

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