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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · pop · mate · shower · cell · hide · content · coach

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lean — thin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — happy
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — the amount

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