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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: cue · rush · stand · present · cold · band · cap · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — a hat
  3. squash — the sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — the time now
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a music group
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. present — there
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cap — of ice

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