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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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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 · row · saw · spring · hide · can · plane · lie

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. can — a tin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lie — to recline
  13. can — a tin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spring — a coil

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