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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.

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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: pitcher · shower · pound · degree · saw · bowl · lean · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — rain
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — thin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pound — for dogs

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