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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: shower · race · bore · wound · mug · bear · squash · swing

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — the arms race
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. race — humankind
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — a face
  23. squash — the sport
  24. race — a contest

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