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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: shower · mark · cabinet · rush · capital · stick · fall · lash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mark — a grade
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — a city
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mark — a trace
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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