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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: rush · wave · bark · bore · shower · mug · game · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mug — a face
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a match
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. game — a kind of play

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