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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: hand · nail · rush · squash · cabinet · shower · stock · drill

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stock — shares
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — to crush

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