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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 · content · staff · season · plane · hide · mug

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mug — a face
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. face — part of the head
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — a cup
  15. shower — to wash
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — happy
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — the amount

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