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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: drill · wave · shower · court · row · squash · root · band

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — to paddle
  3. squash — to crush
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. court — of a king
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. shower — rain
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. root — of a plant
  17. band — a ring
  18. drill — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. court — of law
  22. band — a music group
  23. squash — the sport
  24. row — a line

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