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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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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 · pass · arm · wave · temple · spring · shower · kid

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — a lid
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pass — a permit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — to wash
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — rain

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