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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: face · leaves · kid · rush · rock · ball · pop · shower

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rock — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rush — hurry
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. shower — rain
  15. ball — a great time
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kid — child
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — to visit
  24. leaves — to go away

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