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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 · kick · patient · scale · bank · lash · date · ruler

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — a hat
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — of a river
  8. scale — in music
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bank — for money
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. date — the fruit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — to lash out

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