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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: field · current · sharp · face · nail · hide · shower · roll

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — happening now
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — rain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. roll — a list
  22. field — a subject
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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