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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.

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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: bowl · hide · face · leaves · band · ground · wave · shower

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. face — to point toward
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a ring
  24. wave — of the sea

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