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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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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: hide · bowl · prune · cold · fan · squash · cap · deal

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — of ice
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. prune — to trim
  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