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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. snap — to click
  13. face — part of the head
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to point toward
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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