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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cap — a lid
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — a division
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — rain
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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