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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: hand · fan · cap · leaves · race · roll · dip · plane

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cap — of ice
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cap — a lid
  10. dip — to sink
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — in cards
  16. roll — a list
  17. hand — help
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. roll — a cake
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. plane — a tool

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