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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · squash · staff · band · shower · bat · tear · drill

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a ring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. shower — rain
  24. drill — army training

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