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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: wave · roll · straw · shower · face · drill · hide · mate

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — a friend
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. drill — the tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. roll — a list
  20. face — part of the head
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mate — a partner
  23. drill — army training
  24. shower — to wash

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