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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
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: cap · tube · shower · toast · leaves · rush · hide · kid

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — to tease
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. toast — bread
  13. tube — a container
  14. cap — a hat
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hide — animal skin

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