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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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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: bear · squash · perch · rock · pass · rash · cap · tear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bear — the animal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rash — a series
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rock — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pass — a permit
  24. perch — for a bird

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