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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: can · dip · shower · bound · snap · drill · toast · cabinet

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — rain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bound — tied together
  12. can — a tin
  13. toast — bread
  14. drill — army training
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to click
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bound — certain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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