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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · scale · plane · mug · lash · capital · fall · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. capital — money
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fall — the season
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cold — an illness
  23. capital — a city
  24. cold — not warm

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