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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 · leaves · track · march · prune · tube · hide · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. track — a path
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — a container
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — music
  24. track — a song

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