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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: pitcher · shower · suit · wind · rock · club · pound · hand

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. club — a group
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. suit — to fit
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — help
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. suit — clothes
  20. shower — rain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — for dancing

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