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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: rock · fall · cold · shower · cap · lash · plane · dip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — the season
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — a tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. shower — rain
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rock — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cap — a lid
  24. dip — to sink

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