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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: date · squash · present · cap · bore · tube · rash · leaves

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. tube — a container
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. squash — the sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. date — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cap — a hat
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bore — to tire
  24. date — on the calendar

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