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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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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: hand · firm · straw · cabinet · fine · pound · current · shower

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pound — a weight
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — help
  12. shower — rain
  13. firm — decided
  14. fine — all right
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — happening now
  21. firm — a company
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. current — of water

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