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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: cap · bark · face · fork · hide · tube · bowl · lie

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to confront
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lie — to recline
  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