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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 116 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: squash · bore · wind · wound · ruler · hand · bowl · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ruler — for measuring

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