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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 116 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: mark · pound · club · pitcher · net · shower · trunk · kick

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kick — in football
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. net — after costs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. net — in sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for golf
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — for catching
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. shower — rain
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kick — a thrill

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