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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: kid · wake · squash · cabinet · season · shower · can · mug

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. season — of the year
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. mug — to rob
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — child
  23. squash — the sport
  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