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

Word bank: fall · trunk · deal · shower · cap · racket · club · rash

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cap — a lid
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fall — the season
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for golf
  18. rash — hasty
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. club — for dancing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — rain

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