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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 116 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: stick · rule · wound · chip · shower · suit · hide · squash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. suit — in cards
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — rain

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