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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: tear · mate · trunk · rush · drill · pitcher · fan · squash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — army training
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tear — to rip
  21. squash — to crush
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mate — to breed

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