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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 120 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: wound · chest · face · can · mouse · pitcher · stick · hide

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — to confront
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — a box
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — a tin

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