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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: hand · cabinet · drill · wake · season · squash · spring · can

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wake — a trail
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — in sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — the sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. drill — army training
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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