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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · chest · perch · hide · plane · kid · object · bat

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — child
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. object — an aim
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. object — a thing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. perch — the fish

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