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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: bear · mug · chest · jam · bay · wind · shower · face

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mug — a face
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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