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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: hand · present · drill · stand · cap · shower · lean · pound

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lean — thin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hand — help
  8. cap — a lid
  9. present — the time now
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — of ice
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — a hat
  21. present — there
  22. pound — a weight
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stand — to bear

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