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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: date · ball · staff · lash · trunk · fall · cap · straw

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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