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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
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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: can · kick · clip · hide · coach · shower · spring · bear

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — in football
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — with a leg

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