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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: court · shower · pound · foot · bass · patient · trunk · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. court — of a king
  6. bass — the fish
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — army training
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. court — for sport
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pound — a weight
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. foot — a measure
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. court — of law

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