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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: cap · fine · plane · cabinet · wound · shower · object · calf

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fine — all right
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. object — a thing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — rain
  23. object — to protest
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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