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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: kick · file · shower · rush · lean · squash · hide · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — thin

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