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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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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: lash · squash · cap · bore · pound · bowl · wind · content

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — the sport
  9. content — happy
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bowl — a football final

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