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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 116 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: nail · spring · hide · tear · bowl · branch · can · face

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. branch — a division
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tear — to rip
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — from crying
  23. face — part of the head
  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