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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: spring · cabinet · bound · pitcher · rock · shower · squash · saw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rock — a stone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. squash — the sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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