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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — happening now
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — the season
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spring — a coil
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. press — to push
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — of water
  24. kid — child

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