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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · bulb · chair · rush · march · shower · present · leaves

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — hurry
  18. march — the month
  19. present — there
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — a gift

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