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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: mug · coach · wound · face · spell · shower · cap · pit

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — magic
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. coach — a trainer

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