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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: wind · can · hide · face · lean · kid · race · squash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lean — to bend
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. can — to be able to
  15. face — part of the head
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. face — to point toward
  20. squash — the sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — thin
  24. squash — the vegetable

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