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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — rain
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. press — to push
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — the season
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ground — crushed

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