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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 · mine · date · can · lash · stand · ground · squash

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stand — to bear
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — army training
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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