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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. march — music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. present — there
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — a container
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — the month
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — to keep secret

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