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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: shower · squash · hand · bear · bulb · can · nail · last

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — finally
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — help
  12. last — final
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — the sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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