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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: can · bore · stand · kid · squash · wind · rush · hide

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stand — to bear
  24. can — to be able to

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