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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fall — the season
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — a country
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. shower — rain
  19. pound — a weight
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. land — to come down
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — to cool the air

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