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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: bank · bear · squash · craft · drill · date

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. drill — army training
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — a practice
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — of a river
  18. craft — a handicraft

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