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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: season · rush · mug · squash · deal · capital · lean · wind

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lean — thin
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. capital — money

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