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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: pitcher · cap · stand · kick · squash · bank · hand · drill

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — the tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stand — to bear
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kick — in football
  19. hand — in cards
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stand — on your feet

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