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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.

Make a worksheet

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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · capital · hide · cap · squash · trunk · season · bark

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — in sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. date — the fruit
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. capital — a city
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — money
  19. squash — to crush
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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