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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: cap · lash · tube · cabinet · kid · bowl · row · fall

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — child
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — to tease
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bowl — to roll

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