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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · dip · wound · squash · cabinet · saw · march · prune

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. squash — to crush
  15. dip — to sink
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cap — a hat

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