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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: hide · bound · shower · ball · field · mug · arm · face

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. bound — certain
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. field — a subject
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — to rob
  24. shower — rain

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