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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: rash · foot · fall · row · mine · cap · stick · wake

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — the season
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a line
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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