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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: row · ball · squash · rash · shower · temple · lean · swing

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — hasty
  11. row — a line
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. shower — rain
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — to paddle
  18. squash — the sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ball — a dance
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. swing — music

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