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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: pop · shower · can · bound · roll · mouse · hand · squash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — the sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. can — a tin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — to visit
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — certain
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pop — soda
  20. roll — a list
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. roll — a cake
  23. squash — to crush
  24. shower — to wash

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