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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: chest · plane · shower · bank · cap · lie · pit · hide

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lie — to recline
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cap — a lid
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — to wash
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bank — for money
  21. chest — a box
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pit — in a race

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