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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bank — for money
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bank — of a river
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. dip — to sink
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  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