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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: wound · mouse · spring · squash · pitch · shower · calf · charge

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. charge — electricity
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. charge — in control
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — a coil

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