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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — rain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bark — to shout
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — the sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — in music
  24. can — a tin

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