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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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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: hand · tube · squash · wake · firm · bore · leaves · cap

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — help
  17. firm — decided
  18. cap — of ice
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. tube — a container

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