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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: shower · firm · bulb · pound · coach · kid · rest · row

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kid — child
  4. shower — rain
  5. row — to paddle
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — a company
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — what's left
  15. firm — decided
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. firm — steady
  18. bulb — for light
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — a break
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. shower — to wash

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