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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: squash · kick · trunk · fan · cap · bear · cold · dip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. dip — to sink
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cold — an illness
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kick — in football
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. dip — a sauce

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