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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: pound · perch · cap · kick · squash · tube · wound · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kick — in football
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kick — a thrill

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