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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: squash · cap · kid · drill · tube · staff · cabinet · wind

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. staff — employees
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a lid
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cap — a hat

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