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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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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 · staff · plane · key · wind · bear · cap · pass

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. plane — a tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — for a lock
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cap — a hat
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. staff — a stick

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