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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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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: deal · swing · shower · drill · pound · squash · trunk · fan

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — to crush
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — the sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pound — a weight
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — a supporter

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