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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · bowl · shower · wound · object · squash · mug · field

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — for sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — a cup
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — a thing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. can — to be able to
  19. field — a subject
  20. can — a tin
  21. object — to protest
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bowl — a football final

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