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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: shower · wound · squash · ruler · jam · fork · spell · swing

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. squash — to crush
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. shower — rain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — to play on
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — magic
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — a short time
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fork — in a road
  21. swing — music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ruler — for measuring

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