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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: kid · hide · lash · last · cap · nail · plane · club

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a hat
  8. club — a group
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. last — finally
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kid — to tease
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. last — to go on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kid — child
  21. last — final
  22. club — for golf
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — for dancing

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