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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: rash · cabinet · kid · bore · shower · mouse · face · chest

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — rain
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — a box
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cabinet — ministers

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