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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 · shower · board · mark · squash · rash · march · calf

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. board — to get on
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — a series
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. squash — the sport
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. board — a committee
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. march — music

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