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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 116 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: cabinet · shower · can · ground · spell · hide · firm · fall

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fall — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — magic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — letters
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ground — crushed

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