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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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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: mouse · file · pound · drill · lean · squash · race · rash

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pound — a weight
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — the arms race
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. drill — army training
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. race — humankind
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — a contest

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