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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 116 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
468
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: staff · spring · squash · shower · degree · pit · club · tube

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tube — a container
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — a coil
  14. club — for golf
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. club — for dancing
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — the underground
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. staff — employees
  22. squash — the sport
  23. degree — temperature
  24. club — a group

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