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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: nail · wake · cap · pass · kid · leaves · squash · shower

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a hat
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — rain
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a lid

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