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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 120 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
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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: cabinet · shower · squash · last · trunk · club · stem · mouse

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — a group
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — final
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. last — finally

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