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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: chest · bear · face · hide · last · nail · perch · hand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. last — final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — to go on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — finally
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hand — help

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