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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · lash · band · mark · hide · face · tube · shower

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — a container
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. shower — rain
  24. face — to confront

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