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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
468
Word bank
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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — a hat
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bass — low music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — a break
  24. cap — a lid

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