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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: shower · squash · drill · bat · temple · can · root · chest

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. root — the cause
  2. drill — army training
  3. squash — the sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. root — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — to crush
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — rain
  23. chest — of your body
  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