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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: bowl · capital · squash · hide · bound · rock · saw · shower

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — money
  7. shower — to wash
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bound — obliged
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rock — a stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — a city
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bowl — to roll

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