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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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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: calf · content · spring · pitch · pound · shower · nail · bound

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — the amount
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bound — tied together
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — rain
  19. spring — of water
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — the season

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