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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: squash · bound · shower · stock · toast · wake · mouse · lie

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. toast — bread
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — rain
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — certain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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