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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: bank · kid · bound · shower · nail · land · pound · swing

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kid — child
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. land — to come down
  16. swing — music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bound — obliged
  20. shower — to wash
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — rain
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kid — to tease

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