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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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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: pop · last · wound · swing · kick · bay · shower · band

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. kick — in football
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — finally
  16. swing — music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — rain
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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