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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: pitcher · straw · hide · drill · roll · stem · face · cabinet

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — a list
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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