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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: jam · rash · rush · cabinet · squash · trunk · shower · kid

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. squash — the sport
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — hurry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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