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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: wound · date · fall · cap · pop · lash · row · lie

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pop — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. row — a line
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — soda
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lie — to recline
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fall — the season

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