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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: rest · dip · squash · wax · hide · cap · pitcher · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — a practice
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rest — a break
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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