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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.

Words on the sheet
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: cold · shower · coach · tube · hide · land · plane · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — a country
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — a trainer

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