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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: rush · rule · shower · drill · stock · bulb · march · squash

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stock — shares
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rule — government
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rule — a law
  20. drill — army training
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. march — music
  24. squash — to crush

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