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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kid — child
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — happening now
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. current — electric
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. current — of water

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