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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 120 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: land · cabinet · rock · stick · fall · bay · lash · shower

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — a country
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — a stone
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. shower — to wash

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