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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 120 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: bank · hide · cap · stand · season · mate · trunk · squash

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stand — to bear
  5. season — of the year
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cap — of ice
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the vegetable

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