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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 120 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: face · pound · foot · hide · mine · lie · current · spring

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — a coil
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to point toward
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. current — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — electric
  14. pound — a weight
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — of water
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lie — an untruth

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