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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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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: firm · pound · fan · mark · shower · fall · bulb · wound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. firm — decided
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — a company
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fall — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — rain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mark — a grade
  22. firm — steady
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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