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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: fine · pound · lie · fan · shower · ground · degree · pop

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — a position
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fine — all right
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — an amount
  15. shower — rain
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pop — soda
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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