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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.

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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: squash · bear · hide · capital · march · plane · fall · band

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. squash — to crush
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. march — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. capital — money
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — to keep secret

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