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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 120 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: ground · board · pound · cap · cell · shower · scale · arm

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pound — a weight
  10. board — to get on
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — size or range
  16. board — a committee
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ground — a position
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. shower — rain
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ground — crushed

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