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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · current · trunk · mug · cold · leaves · kid · plane

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. current — of water
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — child
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. current — electric
  22. cold — not warm
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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