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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: track · cap · bore · shower · pitcher · pound · arm · last

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. last — finally
  9. track — a path
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — to tire
  17. last — to go on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — final
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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