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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.

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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — to tease
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. kid — child
  9. last — final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — electric
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — of water
  23. plane — a tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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