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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: bore · shower · nail · leaves · squash · race · chair · wake

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chair — a leader
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. race — a contest
  7. shower — rain
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to drill
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. squash — to crush
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bore — to tire
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — a professorship

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