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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 116 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: face · can · fall · mark · cold · ground · current · hide

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — the earth
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — to be able to
  16. face — to confront
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. mark — a grade
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ground — a position
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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