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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 120 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: hide · cap · rush · pitch · tear · squash · leaves · bank

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — of ice
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tear — to rip
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bank — for money
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bank — for 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