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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.

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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 · kid · bass · current · mug · face · spell · wound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — low music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. current — of water
  24. spell — letters

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