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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: kid · squash · rush · nail · stick · lie · coach · shower

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — to recline
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — rain
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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