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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 120 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: shower · kick · hide · prune · file · leaves · wave · bound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — obliged
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a document
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bound — certain

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