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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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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: temple · shower · bass · hand · saw · foot · fan · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a hat
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bass — the fish
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. shower — to wash
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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