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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: season · clip · firm · tube · drill · rush · squash · lie

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — in sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lie — to recline
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — a container
  16. clip — a video
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — the sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. firm — steady
  24. rush — to hurry

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