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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
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: rush · lean · kid · toast · drill · tube · squash · shower

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tube — a container
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. drill — army training
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. drill — a practice
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rush — hurry
  14. toast — bread
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — to hurry

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