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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
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: bear · perch · foot · mine · shower · tube · hide · face

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. face — part of the head
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — the underground
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — a container

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