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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: pound · stick · spell · foot · shower · can · lie · kid

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — rain
  6. spell — letters
  7. pound — a weight
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spell — magic
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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