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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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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: shower · hide · field · mouse · vault · stand · cap · bear

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — for sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mouse — the animal

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