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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: tear · jam · lean · bank · roll · mouse · face · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. roll — on a roll
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — of a river
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. tear — from crying
  14. roll — a list
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bank — for money
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — to rip
  20. roll — a cake
  21. tear — from crying
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mouse — the animal
  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