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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: fall · cap · suit · firm · nail · saw · shower · wake

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — steady
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cap — of ice
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. suit — to fit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — the season

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