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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: cold · wake · foot · hide · face · present · cap · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cap — a lid
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — a hat
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — a measure
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — an illness
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — a trail
  23. face — to confront
  24. wake — before a funeral

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