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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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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: ground · hide · perch · cap · coach · craft · squash · straw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ground — the earth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a skill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. perch — the fish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ground — a position
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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