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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 · bowl · tube · bear · straw · spring · face · present

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. spring — the season
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. present — there
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — the time now
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tube — a container
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bowl — a dish
  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