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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 116 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: leaves · mate · net · cap · trunk · squash · rush · object

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — in sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — a hat
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. object — to protest
  14. mate — to breed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. cap — of ice
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mate — a friend

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