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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
468
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: dip · staff · shower · can · lie · stick · present · hide

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — a stick
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. present — the time now
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. present — there
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. lie — to recline
  24. dip — to dunk

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