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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: mouse · wind · rash · kick · can · wake · cap · mug

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — in football
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — hasty
  24. can — a tin

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