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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: shower · face · mouse · calf · leaves · nail · chest · craft

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. face — to point toward
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chest — of your body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — of a tree

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