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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: squash · rash · root · saw · fan · drill · firm · bound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. firm — steady
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — army training
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — certain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — the tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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