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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — the underground
  4. key — the most important part
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a lid
  7. snap — to click
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. key — in music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. tube — a container
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bank — for money
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — of ice

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