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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 120 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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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: can · drill · bat · shower · deal · branch · squash · wound

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — a division

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