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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: bank · cap · cabinet · lash · bound · scale · shower · clip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — certain
  6. clip — for paper
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — a video
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — tied together

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