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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: shower · ground · season · clip · rush · current · key · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. key — in music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. squash — to crush
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ground — the earth
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — a position
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — for paper
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — electric
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — to wash
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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