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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. band — a music group
  5. squash — the sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cap — a lid
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. band — a ring
  24. rush — hurry

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