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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 · bank · wound · fan · rash · cap · face · dip

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rash — a series
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — to confront
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — hasty

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