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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: band · shower · present · pitch · wave · squash · file · drill

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. present — the time now
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. shower — to wash
  7. file — a document
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — completely
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. present — there
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. drill — the tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. drill — a practice

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