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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.

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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: nail · bear · face · snap · shower · band · season · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a music group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — of the year
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. band — a ring
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a rubber band

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