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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · current · spring · ball · cell · craft · shower · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. shower — rain
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — a skill
  7. current — happening now
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — boats
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — of water
  18. spring — of water
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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