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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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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: shower · can · prune · kid · swing · deal · face · hide

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — child
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — rain
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — the fruit

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