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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 116 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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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: craft · hide · hand · bound · wave · bass · spring · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — help
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — part of the head
  6. craft — boats
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — low music
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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