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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: pound · fall · net · bear · pitcher · rock · deal · shower

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rock — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — the season
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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