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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: face · wave · hide · spring · club · jam · cold · chair

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — of water
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. club — a group
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spring — the season
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — for golf
  21. face — to confront
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cold — not warm

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