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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. plane — a tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — rain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. race — a contest
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. race — humankind
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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