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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: wind · cabinet · spring · face · hide · pitch · net · saw

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — after costs
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to confront
  18. net — in sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. net — for catching

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