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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · face · tube · drill · straw · cap · squash · craft

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. face — part of the head
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cap — of ice
  11. craft — a skill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cap — a hat
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — boats
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tube — in a tire

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