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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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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: drill · shower · cap · arm · lash · trunk · current · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — of ice
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — to sink
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. drill — army training
  21. current — of water
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — the tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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