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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: rush · cap · club · squash · race · bulb · staff · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wake — a trail
  7. race — a contest
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — for golf
  13. rush — hurry
  14. staff — employees
  15. bulb — for light
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. club — a group
  22. staff — employees
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rush — a thrill

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