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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — rain
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wound — an injury
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — a hat
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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