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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 116 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: cap · club · mug · plane · fall · lash · degree · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — a hat
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fall — the season
  14. mug — a face
  15. club — a group
  16. cap — a lid
  17. club — for golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — for dancing
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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