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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 120 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: hide · shower · swing · vault · club · root · squash · scale

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. swing — to play on
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — in music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — the cause
  16. vault — a safe
  17. scale — size or range
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — a group

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