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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 116 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: wake · bass · pitcher · bank · cap · squash · shower · bat

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bank — for money

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