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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kick · capital · nail · pound · drill · rush · shower · stem

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. drill — army training
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. capital — a city
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — money
  21. stem — to come from
  22. kick — in football
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — of a plant

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