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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 120 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: shower · cabinet · hide · lie · club · content · snap · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — a group
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — to wash
  11. content — the amount
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. content — happy
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — to recline
  24. club — for dancing

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