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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 116 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: lean · kid · current · cell · nail · lash · hand · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cell — a phone
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — child
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — electric
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — an eyelash

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