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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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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — of a river
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mug — a face
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lie — to recline
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bank — for money
  24. fall — the season

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