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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: kid · snap · mark · firm · trunk · pound · bulb · shower

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to click
  3. kid — child
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. firm — decided
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — steady
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — to tease
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. firm — a company
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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