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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. face — to confront
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — rain
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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