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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: firm · wind · shower · chip · spring · straw · date · squash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. squash — to crush
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spring — of water
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — a company
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. spring — a coil
  21. shower — to wash
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — the season
  24. firm — steady

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