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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: club · craft · wave · cap · shower · spell · pit · lean

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — a hat
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — a group
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cap — a lid
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lean — thin
  20. craft — boats
  21. spell — magic
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — a hole

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