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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 124 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: chair · net · bore · pitcher · shower · wave · pound · calf

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. net — for catching
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — in sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chair — a leader
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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