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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: key · plane · press · lie · shower · kid · calf · straw

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. key — for a lock
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. press — to push
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. shower — rain
  19. key — the most important part
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. key — in music

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