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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — a trail
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. cap — of ice
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. deal — to handle

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