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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · present · hide · bank · tear · face

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bank — for money
  4. present — there
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — to point toward
  16. present — a gift
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal

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