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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rest — a break
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tube — the underground

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