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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: shower · squash · bound · drill · coach · spell · lash · row

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a line
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bound — tied together
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spell — letters
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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