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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · lie · cap · drill · squash · coach · bowl

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. drill — a practice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — a lid
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lie — to recline
  23. drill — army training
  24. shower — to wash

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