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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 116 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: kick · prune · shower · march · squash · fall · rest · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. shower — to wash
  4. march — the month
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — the month
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — rain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kick — in football
  20. rest — a break
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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