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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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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: chest · band · land · hide · plane · bore · rash · spring

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — ground
  12. plane — a tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. chest — a box
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — to come down
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — hasty

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